My buddy and I were predator hunting last night and came across a nice 6 pointer that had been wounded in the shoulder. He was limping really badly and looked miserable.
We debated what would be the right thing to do....since it is NOT gun season here in NC, since it was at night, since he was badly wounded....what would be the correct legal choice to make?

Thats a good question.
We were squirrel hunting 2 years ago and stumbled upon a doe that had been shot in the front shoulder and couldn't walk. She was struggling to get up. We were only 20 yards from her and could see the gangrene. It was 3 days before MS gun season was up so i put her down with a 22LR to the head. Got closer and the wound was bad enough that you could smell it from 10 yards. Im not sure but i dont think gangrene sets in quickly. So we figured it had to be atleast the day before?

I would have to call the local Game Warden to get their opinion. That way your legal and not fined for trying to help out.

As hard as it is to do, the thing you're supposed to do is to call the local conservation agent/game warden with authority on the property you find the animal on before taking any action. If they are slow to respond the sheriff's department can help if they have time and are willing to fool with it.

Right or wrong, I would have put the deer or any animal that is seriously wounded out of its misery. I have done this before and would do it again.

At the expense of a possible felony? At the expense of possibly having your vehicle and rifle confiscated? At the expense of possibly losing your hunting privileges? The right answer is to call the game warden.

All good points. Thanks for the info. I believe that it was too much risk of receiving a ticket so we did not dispatch it. It stumbled off into the woods.
I did call it in today and the officer said that we were correct to leave it be.

Personal opinion not legal opinion. I would have put that animal down. Your out in the middle of no where, at night, no witnesses and doing a Good Samaritan act. Each person has to make their own decision and deal with the consequences or lack there of. This would be mine. Of course I would not then load the animal in my truck and drive off with it, I would leave it in place.

Put it down and get the flock out of there... say nothing.

Worth taking the chance for me... unlikely to get caught in the first place. Most game wardens/police I know would pretend they didn't see it... if charged it would be the kind of thing you could fight in court...

Worst case I can't hunt for a few years and family/friends fill my freezer for me.

i have to agree with this. it may not be the legal choice, but putting it down sure is the right moral answer. while i have no problems taking game while hunting, i still hate to see an animal suffer needlessly.

I don't have a problem with that either but I will say a couple things. First, no way in Hades would I jeopardize my hunting privilege over a wounded animal. No way. Second, animals survive some amazing wounds. Broken legs, falls, impaling themselves or sticking themselves on objects, poking an eye out, fighting during mating season, predatory animal attacks, vehicle collisions, bad shots from hunters, ect. all happen and quite often the victim animal survives and adapts. Often they move on and live a fairly normal life.

Its a tough thing to do for sure. While out calling with a couple friends we came across a wild mustang colt that had fallen into a spring and was high centered on some box culvert. No telling how long it had been in there. We pulled it out but it could hardly walk. No horses around to hear its cries, we knew it would die. We called BLM as they are federally protected and asked for permission to put it down or for them to send someone out to assess the situation. We were told to leave it be. All we could do is sit back and watch it die a tough cruel death. Sucked big time. The moral thing would have been to end its suffering but legally we would have been in the wrong and would face stiff fines and probable jail time.

Remember the tourist in Yellowstone that "rescued" the baby bison calf because they thought it was cold? They loaded it into their mini van and drove it to Park HQ probably happy and proud of their rescue. The little calf was rejected by its mother when Rangers tried to reunite it with its mother. After several efforts to get the calf back with mama the calf was euthanized by park personnel.

I was a State Park Naturalist for the DNR for several years. Nearly every year some well meaning folks would drag a fawn deer to the park office. They would be hiking and see the fawn tucked away in the brush close to the trail and no mother around. Being completely ignorant they would scoop the fawn up and stress heII out of it by manhandling it the remainder of the hike and then hauling it in a car for several miles to the office. A simple phone call would have saved us all a lot of trouble and probably actually saved a deer or two. After I explained to them how a mother deer handled a young fawn it would fall on me to try to find the spot the deer was kidnapped from and replace it hoping momma would accept it. On at least one occasion I know the fawn died. I found it dead the next day when I hiked out to check on it. Most likely the stress of the event.

Critters have been surviving a long time on their own. And sometimes not, nature being what it is. Occasionally some human intervention is actually helpful or merciful. Many times it doesn't work out that way.

Ever since I killed a feral hog in Texas that had a healed broken back (it was WAY crooked), I pretty much give any animal not wounded by me or my party while hunting a wide berth. Now, if I put a bullet in something, I go like he!! to make sure I end it.

I once put down a small buck a week after the last deer season. someone had shot its lower jaw off. I put it down and called the DWM and told her what and where. She thanked me for shooting it.
A couple years ago I saw a buck in the pond, he had a couple hundred feet of fence wire stuck in his antlers dragging through the weeds. He was about spent when I finally got to him with a wire cutter. He was on his side with only the tip of his nose out of the water. I cut him free and shortly thereafter he got up and walked out of the water. Never saw him again, and maybe he died. But, animals are quite tough, they can survive a lot more than we think.
To put it down, it had better be obvious and without a doubt that it cannot survive.

The Game Warden, hours away when seconds count!

***I carry a gun because a cop is to heavy.
Average response time for a 911 call is 10 min.
Average response time for a .45acp is 900FPS.